In the packaging of various types of products such as bottles, cans, boxes, and other containers loaded into product cartons or packages for transfer and/or sale in bulk, the cans, bottles, or other articles or products are typically fed into a product packaging machine for loading into their cartons or packages. The products can be wrapped with the cartons, or can be loaded into a carton sleeve from the ends thereof, after which the ends of the cartons are closed and the enclosed cartons or product packages are discharged from the packaging machine.
Typically, after discharge, the product packages can be fed to a turning and dividing unit or station in which the product packages generally are rotated into a longitudinally extending alignment and thereafter divided into multiple product lanes for collection and packaging into cases for transportation or storage. A problem that exists, however, is that at times, defective or rejected packages, such as cartons where the ends are not properly folded, or cartons that are not properly filled with a full contingent of product, sometimes will not be detected or discovered until the product packages are turned and divided, and are ready to be loaded into cartons.
Automated vision detection systems have been used to ensure package quality and signal downstream reject systems to divert rejected product out of the product stream. Typical reject systems can, however, limit the speed at which the product packages are moved through the turner/divider unit or require more space in the line. For example, positioning the reject system after dividing generally requires that multiple reject systems be provided, one for each lane, thus substantially increasing the machine width and length. Alternatively, performing such a monitoring function after turning, but before dividing, would require increasing the width of the machine to allow turned packs to be rejected and would also require extra machine length for this function.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a turner and divider unit and a system capable of monitoring and rejecting defective or rejected product packages without interfering with the turning and dividing functions and without substantially increasing the space required so as to address the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.